Inside the Florida Condo Where Jennifer Kesse Was Last Seen—as Her Family Reveals Their Theory of What Happened to Her

Jennifer Kesse disappeared without a trace in 2006, leaving her loved ones searching for answers nearly two decades later as to what happened.

At the time she went missing, the 24-year-old had just landed a job at a timeshare company and had purchased her first home—an Orlando condo that became the last place she was seen.

On the morning of Jan. 24, 2006, the recent graduate of the University of Central Florida was missing from her office, which was out of character for her, according to coworkers who called her parents Drew and Joyce Kesse, who drove to her condo.

When they arrived at their daughter’s beloved home, they found an eerie scene. Jennifer’s car was missing but there was a damp towel in her bathroom, pajamas on the floor, and hair tools on the counter, according to 48 Hours.

Her iPod, keys, cell phone, and purse were nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, her car reappeared at a nearby complex two days after she was reported missing.

Jennifer’s parents were shocked by the unusual situation, noting that they always felt their daughter was safe in the condo because it sat in a gated community with a guard.

Her family has yet to stop searching for their beloved daughter, having helped detectives discover clues for the past 19 years.

In 2020, her father told Fox News: “We don’t care when. We don’t care how and frankly, we don’t care who. We just want our daughter back, for the good or the bad. We miss her every day.”

Her family previously noted that they believed something went wrong when Jennifer was getting ready to leave her condo for the day.

Joyce told 48 Hours: “She slept [in her condo] for sure, and I think she got up for work as she normally would. ‘Okay, I’m going to work. I have a meeting, it’s busy.’ Locks the door of her condo, that’s where the mystery starts.”

The heartbroken mom noted that there was “nothing amiss” in her condo, adding that there were a few clothes on her bed, which was typical of her daughter.

Investigators searched for footage from Jennifer’s condo; however, there were no cameras installed yet.

When they looked further, they discovered that a “complete set of keys for the complex” had been reported missing just one month prior.

Unfortunately, police were unable to use the inside of Jennifer’s condo as a search area for forensic evidence because her family had already gathered in it and compromised the evidence.

Two days after police officially began an investigation into the disappearance of Jennifer, they discovered her car at a nearby complex.

According to 48 Hours, a witness spotted Jennifer’s car speed out of her condo parking lot at 7:40 a.m. but was unsure of the direction the vehicle was headed.

When detectives found the car, there was no evidence left behind, leading them to believe it had been cleaned by the perpetrator.

Although no one has ever identified who was driving the car, it is still one of the biggest pieces of evidence because security cameras captured the person behind the wheel exiting the car and ditching it.

Unfortunately, their face was hidden, and cops were only able to confirm that the person was between 5-feet-3-inches and 5-feet-5-inches.

Even NASA was called in to help identify the person in the video but was unable to do so.

Her father once revealed that it appeared as though there was a struggle on top of the car, telling Fox News: “It looked like someone was thrown down on the top of the hood—arms spread out and then dragged back almost like off the hood to the point where you can almost see fingers scribbling down the hood.”

The most notable theory in Jennifer’s disappearance is that a construction or maintenance worker from the 24-year-old’s condo complex was involved.

Drew told 48 Hours: “She just said, ‘You know, there’s a lot of workers here, and they tend to just stop when I’m walking by or go into my car, and they just look.'”

He then later reiterated this theory to Fox News, telling the outlet: “Whenever workers entered her apartment for painting and repairs, Jen was always on the phone with us. She’d stay on the phone in the doorway of her condo until they had left.”

The Kesse family was so determined to find their daughter that they hired private investigator, Michael Torretta, who maintained that a condo employee was involved, explaining that up to 10 workers were living in the condo across the hall from her.

“What I’m thinking is, Jennifer comes out, she locks the door. Of course, she has her back to the apartment behind her and then is abducted by those individuals across the hallway.

“She’s locking the door and never sees it coming. She probably was attacked immediately upon exiting. She’s dragged into that other apartment, and that’s the end,” Toretta theorized on 48 Hours.

Meanwhile, Drew has remained adamant her daughter was the victim of a targeted attack. In 2019, the family offered up a $500,000 reward of their personal money to the person who finds their daughter.

January 2025 marked the 19th anniversary of Jennifer’s disappearance. The Kesse family took to Facebook to share a tribute to their daughter.

They wrote: “How can a missing person’s case with such awareness not produce even a direction 19 years later is inconceivable, yet very true and we, Jennifer’s family and friends, live with that very real fact day in and day out.

“NO, time does not heal all wounds. But we still stay strong and fight the fight that needs to be fought for Jennifer’s sake. … We are continuously humbled by the people who still reach out on a very regular basis with leads. Maybe someday one will produce results.”

After Jennifer’s disappearance, the condo was sold to a buyer in 2008 before trading hands again in 2018. The condo remained empty until a buyer snapped it up in 2023.

It was relisted on Jan. 5, 2024, but the listing was removed in April.

Images of the condo provide an eerie view of what may have happened to Jennifer that tragic day, with the bathroom tiles remaining the same as they were when Jennifer went missing.

The paint has been changed; however, the remainder of the condo appears to be the same.